Judas priest lyrics and Judas priest guitar tabs, Judas priest pictures and biography

Vocal/Harmonica --- Rob Halford
Vocal/Lead Guitar --- Glenn Tipton
Guitar --- K.K. Downing
Bass --- Ian HIll
Drums --- John Hinch

This group was formed in Birmingham, England, in 1969,
by guitarist K.K. Downing
(b. Kenneth Downing) and
close friend, bassist Ian Hill. As another hopeful,
struggling young rock band, they played their first
gig in Essington in 1971 with a line-up completed by
Alan Atkins
(vocals) and John Ellis
(drums).The name
Judas Priest came from Atkins' previous band
(who took
it from a Bob Dylan song, 'The Ballad Of Frankie Lee
And Judas Priest') before he joined up with Hill and
Downing.Constant gigging continued, with Alan Moore
taking over on drums, only to be replacedat the end of
1971 by Chris Campbell. Most of 1972 was spent on the
road in the UK,and in 1973 both Atkins and Campbell
departed, leaving the nucleus of Hill and Downing
(in
1991 Atkins released a debut solo album that included
'Victim Of Changes',a song he co-wrote in Judas Priest's
infancy). At this point, their fortunes took a turn for
the better. Vocalist and ex-theatrical lighting engineer
Rob Halford
(b. 25 August 1951, Walsall, England) and
drummer John Hinch, both from the bandHiroshima, joined
the unit. More UK shows ensued as their following grew
steadily, culminating in the addition of second guitarist
Glenn Tipton
(b. 25 October 1948;ex-Flying Hat Band).
in 1974 they toured abroad for the first time in Germany
and the Netherlands, and returned home to a record contrac
t with the small UK label Gull. The band made their vinyl
debut with Rocka Rolla in September 1974. Disappointed
with the recording, the band failed to make any impact,
and Hinch left to be replaced by the returning Alan Moore.
In 1975 the band's appearance at the Reading Festival
brought them to the attention ofa much wider audience.
Sad Wings Of Destiny was an improvement on the debut,
with production assistance from Jeffrey Calvert and Max
West. However, despite good reviews, their financial
situation remained desperate, and Alan Moore left for the
second and final time. A worldwide contract with CBS
Records saved the day, and Sin After Sin was a strong
collection, with Simon Philips sitting in for Moore.
The band then visited America for the first time with
drummer Les Binks, who appeared on Stained Class, an album
that showed Priest at a high watermark in their powers.
Killing Machine yielded the first UK hit single, 'Take On
The World', and featured shorter, punchier, but still
familiar, rock songs. Unleashed In The Eastwas recorded on
the 1979 Japanese tour, and in that year, Binks was
replaced on drumsby Dave Holland of Trapeze. After major
tours with both Kiss and AC/DC, Priest'spopularity began
to gather momentum. British Steel smashed into the UK
album charts at number 3, and included the hit singles
'Breaking The Law' and 'Living After Midnight'.After
appearing at the 1980 Donington Monsters Of Rock festival,
they began recording Point Of Entry. It provided the hit
single 'Hot Rockin', and was followed by sell-out UK and
US tours. The period surrounding Screaming For Vengeance
was phenomenally successful for the band. The hit single,
'You've Got Another Thing Comin'', was followed by a
lucrative six-month US tour, with the album achieving
platinum status in the USA. Defenders Of The Faith offered
a similar potent brand of headstrongmetal to Screaming For
Vengeance. Turbo, however, proved slightly more commercial
andwas poorly received, Judas Priest's traditional metal
fans reacting with indifference to innovations that included
the use of synthesized guitars. Ram It Down saw a return
to pure heavy metal by comparison, but by this time their
popularity had begun to wane.Dave Holland was replaced by
Scott Travis
(b. Norfolk, Virginia, USA; ex- Racer X )for
the return to form that was Painkiller. Although no longer
universally popular,Priest were still a major live attraction
and remained the epitome of heavy metal,with screaming
guitars matched by screaming vocalist, and the protagonists
clad in studs and black leather. The band were taken to court
in 1990 following the suicide attempts of two fans
(one successful)
in 1985. Both CBS Records and Judas Priest were accused of
inciting suicide through the 'backwards messages' in their
recording of the Spooky Tooth classic, 'Better By You, Better
Than Me'. They were found not guilty in June 1993 after a long
court battle, Downing admitting: 'It will be another ten years
before I can even spell subliminal'. Soon afterwards, Halford
became disheartened with the band and decided to quit. He had
temporarily fronted an Ozzy-less Black Sabbath and recorded
'Light Comes Out Of The Black' with Pantera for the Buffy The
Vampire Slayersoundtrack, as well as working on his Fight project.
He debuted with his new band,Halford, in 1996. With new vocalist
Ripper Owens, Judas Priest returned to recording with 1997's Jugulator.